April 30, 2004: Headlines: COS - Colombia: Writing - Colombia: Journalism: San Francisco Chronicle: Colombia RPCV Maureen Orth, star of Vanity Fair is author of "The Importance of Being Famous,'' a collection of pieces for that magazine and essays on fame.

Had lunch Wednesday with Maureen Orth, UC Berkeley grad, Peace Corps veteran, star of Vanity Fair and most recently, author of "The Importance of Being Famous,'' a collection of pieces for that magazine and essays on fame.

Orth writes something like three 10,000-word stories a year, some about issues -- priests molesting children, for example -- but many focusing on a newsmaker, a spotlight-seeking entertainer or someone who becomes a "celebrity'' when inadvertently pushed into the spotlight by a criminal case or other unpleasant happenings.

The father of Scott Peterson's girlfriend Amber Frey was besieged by calls from the media once he was identified, says Orth, and "was very entertained'' by his celebrity. Larry King's producers wanted Ron Frey to be on his show so badly they promised that his beloved dog would be featured, too. Even the direct victims of this tragedy found themselves participating in a celebrity event, according to Orth. "There were more white limousines carrying the family of Laci (Peterson) to her memorial service,'' she said, "than there were at Elvis' funeral.''

Orth, a reporter, is not tsk-tsking primly about what she calls "the celebrity-industrial complex,'' but it would be hard to miss that implication. On the other hand, isn't she herself helping to fuel the fame industry?

"Maybe I'm deluding myself,'' she said, "but if I tell you something about how this is out of control, tell you something that goes beyond being a part of it, I consider myself an investigative journalist.''

As to the heart of her mission, she talks about her most high-profile recent story, in which she reveals that her subject served his young friends alcohol in soda cans. "It is equally hard to penetrate the layers of obfuscation surrounding Michael Jackson as it is to find weapons of mass destruction. The process is the same. You have to work your butt off.''

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Story Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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